Marquez makes it two on the trot

When a crash in Q2 left Marc Marquez (Gresini Ducati) starting from ninth on the grid, a win was a long way from his and his Gresini team’s mind. And when Pecco Bagnaia (Lenovo Ducati) picked himself up out of the gravel last time out, some 23 points adrift title rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Ducati), the fight was on to defend his title.

That gap increased to 26 points when Martin beat Bagnaia to the Sprint win on the Saturday of the San Marino Grand Prix, but even before rain began to fall on lap six of the full-length feature race, there were signs this was going to be a dramatic 27-lap contest.

Martin had to keep his enthusiasm in check and brake hard to avoid clattering into holeshot-getter Bagnaia on lap two, but contact couldn’t be avoided further back between Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Ducati) and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM), Marc Marquez and Enea Bastianini (Lenovo Ducati), and front-row starter Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Ducati) and Pedro Acosta (GasGas Tech3) as they all jostled early for positions. They all stayed on board, though Acosta lost the left-hand aero off his KTM RC16, which ultimately bought the rookie undone when he crashed out of the race on lap four.

But when the rain did begin to fall on lap six, everything changed again. After setting two fastest laps off the race, third-placed Morbidelli lost the front of his Ducati heading into Turn 1 the next time around, bunching the field behind the understandably cautious Bagnaia at the front. Then tricky-conditions specialist Marc Marquez both saw and seized an opportunity, moving past Enea Bastianini (Lenovo Ducati) to sit fourth behind Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM).

Spooked by the rain, Martin peeled into pitlane at the end of lap seven to swap bikes, but he was the only rider in the top 10 to do so, turning the race on its head. Of course, if the rain continued to fall, it would have been a clever move that could have allowed Martin to further extend his title lead, but it wasn’t to be.

Marquez eased past Binder on lap eight, and with plenty of confidence in the tricky conditions, took the lead from Bagnaia a couple of corners later, as Miller sensed an opportunity and nabbed third from his teammate.

By now, nothing separated the top eight; it was Marquez from Bagnaia and Miller, with Bastianini, Binder, Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati), Bezzecchi and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Yamaha) all within cooee of leader Marquez.

But as the track began to dry and the consequence of Martin’s premature decision to swap bikes began to make itself clear, the top three riders began to assert their authority on the remaining 17 laps.

Bastianini took Miller for third place, 1.5sec behind Bagnaia in second. And while the reigning world champ dug deep to keep Marquez at arm’s length, even showing the Gresini rider a front wheel, the injuries sustained in Aragon and his eagerness to capitalise on Martin’s 15th position was enough to see him settle for a safe second place.

Alex Marquez also disposed of Miller for fourth, making it a KTM battle for fifth which Binder eventually won on lap 18. It got a lot worse for the Australian in the remaining laps, with Bezzecchi and Quartararo also easing by, but with a clear track ahead of him, Binder reached and passed Alex Marquez for fourth place, although by now Bastianini was almost eight seconds up the road.

With four laps to go, Marc Marquez was 2.259sec clear of Bagnaia, who in turn was 3.577sec clear of his factory Ducati teammate. Crucially, Martin was fighting for the final championship point with Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales in 15th and 16th respectively, as the title took yet another swing, this time very much in Bagnaia’s favour.

Sporting livery dedicated to the late Fausto Gresini, Marc’s second victory for the season was a special one for him and his team, and the emotion and relief was clear for all to see.

“Today someone from the sky dropped a bit (of rain),” he said in parc ferme, pointing to the sky. “(Go) lead the race, and pull away…so that victory is for all of the Gresini family.”

With podium positions spoken for, Bezzecchi pipped Alex Marquez for fifth place on the final lap, although it wouldn’t have been what he hoped for starting from the front row in third in his home grand prix. Quartararo hung onto seventh ahead of Miller, before a 10-second gap back to Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) and KTM wildcard Pol Espargaro in ninth and 10th.  

The result means Martin’s healthy 26-point lead is reduced to seven, with 312 points to Bagnaia’s 305. Marc’s (259 points) second win on the trot brings him back into championship contention, just 53 points adrift. Bastianini (250 points) is now 62 behind. 

Marc will be hoping to do it all again when the series stays put for Round 14 in two weeks’ time.